Bathing-cap



N0. 770,338. 7 PATENTED SEPT. 20, 1904. J. TOOHER;

BATHING GAP.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 9| 1904.

N0 MODEL.

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MMT T NirEn STATES Patented September 20, 1904:.

ATENT Price.

NELIUS J OHERN AND PATRICK H. CROWLEY,

MASSACHUSETTS.

OF HYDEPARK,

BATHlNG-CAP.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 770,338, dated September 20, 1904. Application filed March 9, 1904. Serial No. 197,304. (No model.)

To all whmn it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JANE TooHnR, of Hydepark, in the county of Norfolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Bathing-Caps, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in bathing-caps which are made of waterproof materials and worn over ladies or other persons hair while in bathing and intended to keep the hair dry while the head is immersed in the water; and the objects of my invention are, first, to provide a cap with an opening of such shape and construction as to enable it to be quickly put on and taken off without disarranging the hair; second, to provide a cap that will stay tightly in place while ducking the head, and, third, to provide a cap with a means of making the joint between the cap and hair and skin perfectly watertight and independent of the varying elasticity of rubber or other elastic materials that may be used in the construction of the cap or opening in it. I attain these objects by the construction illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a side view of the cap in position on a ladys head withthe tighteningbands untied. Fig. 2 is a front view of the cap with the tightening-bands untied, showing the part solid and part elastic web construction of the opening for the bathers head. Fig. 3 is a side view of the cap in position on a ladys head with the tightening-bands tied tightly together with a bow-knot in proper place over the elastic web of the opening, and Fig. 4 is afrontview of the cap with the tightening-bands tied as shown in Fig. 3.

Similar letters refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

The cap is constructed of thin rubber-backed silk or other waterproof material and comprises the body A, the opening B, the tightening-bands C, and the elastic web gathered part of the opening D. The opening of the cap begins at the rear end of it and extends about three-quarters of its length, and the shape of the cap (which somewhat resembles a liberty-cap) and of the opening are such as to fit snugly around the bathers forehead, face, and back of neck before the tighteningbands are tied, and the joint may be made as much tighter as the bather desires by tying the tightening-bands over the elastic web part of the opening on the forehead. The object of the elastic web front to the opening is to make itadjustable and to fit snugly and evenly without overlaps, humps, or irregularities to any size head before the tightening-bands are tied and to maintain this snug fit as the bands are tightened. It is obvious from this construction that the elastic strength of the opening need not be very great, that the normal opening may be large, and that the tightness of the joint between the skin (or hair) and cap is independent of the fixed elastic strength (or varying strength due to decay of the rubber) of any rubber construction in the opening and may be adjusted and varied at will.

The bathing-caps in the prior art now in practical use are of flat construction with elastic web or rubber-band reinforced openings in the middle of the under side of them. These are defective, because, first, the soft quality of the rubber and small elastic strength necessary for ladies use and the narrowness of the band necessary around the openings of them do not make water-tight joints on varying sizes of heads; second, as the life of the rubber gives out the joint becomes less and less water-tight and the cap worthless for its purpose; third, in order to get elastic strength the openings are necessarily small compared with the size of a ladys head-d ress, and therefore difiicult of adjustment without entirely disarranging her hair, and, fourth, the elasticity of the openings is not sufficient to prevent the caps from being washed off the heads while swashing around in the water. All these defects are remedied. by my invention, as shown in this construction.

I am aware that prior to my invention fiat bathing-caps of waterproof materials with elastic web or rubber reinforced bands around the openings and entire rubber caps with the openings reinforced by thickening the rubber and tightening-bands that extend from the sides of the bottom of the back of the cap proper diagonally upward so as to admit of 15 covering the edges of the sides of the cap' proper and of tying them over the elastic material in front.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of tWo sub- 20 scribing Witnesses.

JANE TOOHER.

Witnesses:

GEO. H. POLLEY, THoMAs WHITE. 

